Thill-tug.



W. G. SMITH.

THILL TUG.

APPLIGATION FILED 1120.26. 1907.

Patented May 4, 1909.

nu: Hormis rsrsns co., wasmnamn, n. e:A

WILLIAM C. SMITH, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

THILL-TUG.

Specification oi Letters Patent.

Patented May 4,1909.

Application led December 26, 1907. Serial No. 408,134..

To all who/m it may concern.'

Be it known that I, 1WrLLIAM C. SMrrH, citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia.

i and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements 1n Thill-Tugs,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to thill tugs; and it contemplates the provision of a neat, strong and durable thill tug embodying such a construction that its major portion may be economically formed of short and consequently inexpensive pieces of leather.

To the attainment of the foregoing end the invention consists in a thill-tug made up of a thill-loop of leather', adapted for the connection of a pad-strap and .having an opening in its lapped and connected por tions, a buckle, a box-loop, a reinforcing strap, of leather, passed through the said opening in the thill-loop and carrying the buckle and the box-loop and having its ends arranged close together' and against the lower end of the thill-loep, a metallic plate riveted to and connecting the adjacent end portions of the reinforcing strap, and a. rnetallic eye held by said plate and carrying a belly band billet.

ln the drawings accompanying and forming 'part of this specification: Figure 1 is a perspective view of my novel thill-tug. Fig.

2 is a vertical section of the same with the belly band billet in edge elevation.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in both views of the drawings, referring to which:

A is the thill-loop of my novel device, which as before stated is made of leather. The said loop is provided in its lapped and connected portions a with an opening c, and the portion a is carried above the portion t and is provided with an opening d for the passage of a pad strap (not shown). rihe connection of the said portions a and b is preferably effected through the medium of a rivet e.

B is the reinforcing strap also of leather. The said strap B is looped through the opening c of the thill-loop A, and is equipped with. a buckle C and a boX-loop D; the 1ouckle C being arranged as shown with its tongue extending through an openingf in strap'B,

and the box-loop D being arranged to receive the said strap to which it is fiXedly connected, preferably by rivets g, Fig. 2. The ends of the strap B are brought together below thethill-loop A, and are retained in said relation through the medium of a eurvilinear metallic plate E. This latter is fiXedly connected, preferably by rivets 7L, to the end portions of the strap B, and is channeled at i to receive an eye F through the medium of which the belly band billet G is connected. n

It will be gathered from the foregoing that both the thill-loop A and the reinforcing strap B may be formed of short and inexpensive pieces of leather, and that this contributes materially to the cheapness of the thill-tug. It will also be gathered that notwithstanding the formation of the thill-loop A and the rein forcing strap B of small pieces of leather, the

thill-tug as a whole is neat in appearance and is well adapted to withstand the rough usage to which such devices are ordinarily subjected. In this latter connection it will be manifest that the curvilinear metallic plate E which connects the end portions of the reinforcing strap B together and also effects connection between the eye F and the said strap B, serves the additional function of retaining the shape of the tug at the point where the thill passes through the same and also serves to reinforce the portions of the thill-loop A and strap'B which, when the device is in use, rests between athill and the said plate E.

It will be further manifest from the foregoing that the arrangement of the curvilinear metallic plate E around the bottom of the thill loop is materially advantageous, particularly when one person is ungearing a horse, this since it will not bind but vwill allow the thill or shaft to slide out of the loop freely. rlhis will be better a preciated when it is remembered that whilb the person holding a thill or shaft can keep the same free on the side of the horse where the person is positioned, it frequently occurs that the tug on the other side of the horse binds on the thill or shaft and pulls the harness off the horses back.

In practice, the buckle C as well as the plate E and the eye F will be japanned or otherwise embellished with a view of 'enhancing the finished appearance of the thill tug as a whole. n y

It will be further gathered from the foregoing that not only the thill loop A'and the reinforcing strap B, but also the belly band billet G may be formed of a short and consequently inexpensive piece of leather with a view of rendering the production of the thill tug inexpensive.

l ain Well aware of Patent No. 291,315 granted to Evans et cl. and Patent No. 560,206 granted to one Gleclrner, and l therefore nialre no clairn to the devices shown therein.

What l claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

rlhe herein described thill tug consistingessentially of a thill loop 'orined of a single piece of leather and having lapped and connected upper end portions and an opening in said portions, a reinforcing strap formed of a single short piece of leather and passed through the said opening in the lapped and connected portions of the thill loop and snugly surrounding said thill loop and having i its ends disposed together at a point belov,T f

the lower ortion of the thill loop, a buckle and box oop carried by the said reinforcing strap, a billet or strap provided With a metallic eye, a curvilinear metallic plate arranged under and against the end portions of the reinforcing strap and having a channeled portion receiving the eye on the billet or strap, and rivets connecting the end portions of the curvilinear plate to the end portions of the reinforcing strap.

ln testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WvlIQLlr-XM C. SMITH.

litnesses CARRIE REDEKER, HARRY REDEKER, 

